Last Modified: Monday, August 5, 2013 at 8:13 p.m.

Henderson County residents Ralph Bastedo, left, Dawn Kucera and Nancy Glowacki said they felt compelled to speak out against what they consider are ill-conceived bills passed by state legislators.

Nancy Tanker/Times-News

A mix of Democrats and unaffiliated voters, many expressed outrage at recent bills passed by the state House and Senate that they consider unduly restrictive.

Clay Eddleman, a retired psychologist and the recently elected chair of the Henderson County Democratic Party, informally organized the group. He said he felt compelled to join the Moral Monday movement “because of the atrocious things going on in Raleigh in demolishing the education system, voter ID making it harder for people to vote, the refusal of Medicaid funding, and not respecting what women have done and their votes in this country.”

A Laurel Park resident, Eddleman said the last time he protested something was the state law banning gay marriage. During that process, “I thought I was the only one in Henderson County who opposed that, but then I found out that there were other people in our area that were like-minded. I found out that there were many, many people who were unaffiliated who wanted to find people who represented them. I came out today to show support for Mountain Moral Monday and bring awareness to the problems in Raleigh.”

Nancy Glowacki of Hendersonville described her mood as “up,” adding that “when people stand to demonstrate another opinion, that's a good thing. It takes both sides to make good decisions.”

A retired occupational therapist, Glowacki described herself as a “progressive” and added that “the progressive viewpoint is being ignored by Raleigh at the moment, unfortunately. We're showing up today to say that we want them to do more critical thinking.”

The last time Hendersonville resident Dawn Kucera protested something was during her college years at Tulane, protesting the Vietnam war. She's now retired from a communications position with the U.S. Air Force.

Two issues in particular brought her to the gathering, she said — voter ID and women's health.

“They think that they can make decisions (in Raleigh) about what women can and can't do with their bodies,” she said. “What the state legislature is doing is horrible for the majority of the population of North Carolina.”

Recently-passed bills “hurt the poor, women, everyone who goes to a public school, and people who want to vote. I'm going to protest that,” she added.

Ralph Bastedo, a retired political science teacher, carried a sign that said, “People Before Profits.”

“I'm frustrated that the state Republican Party has changed so much,” the Hendersonville resident said. “I actually campaigned for Sen. (Tom) Apodaca and (Rep.) Chuck McGrady. Years ago, I thought that Apodaca was going to bring a liberal or moderate flavor to the Republican Party, but he has not done that.”

Bastedo attributes what he considers to be a change for the worse to one factor: money.

“I seems like the money — between ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) and the Koch Brothers — is running everything right now,” he said with a sigh. “Lobbies in Raleigh — they are running everything.”

<p>About 20 residents gathered in downtown Hendersonville Monday afternoon to carpool to the Mountain Moral Monday protest at Pack Square in Asheville. </p><p>A mix of Democrats and unaffiliated voters, many expressed outrage at recent bills passed by the state House and Senate that they consider unduly restrictive. </p><p>Clay Eddleman, a retired psychologist and the recently elected chair of the Henderson County Democratic Party, informally organized the group. He said he felt compelled to join the Moral Monday movement “because of the atrocious things going on in Raleigh in demolishing the education system, voter ID making it harder for people to vote, the refusal of Medicaid funding, and not respecting what women have done and their votes in this country.”</p><p>A Laurel Park resident, Eddleman said the last time he protested something was the state law banning gay marriage. During that process, “I thought I was the only one in Henderson County who opposed that, but then I found out that there were other people in our area that were like-minded. I found out that there were many, many people who were unaffiliated who wanted to find people who represented them. I came out today to show support for Mountain Moral Monday and bring awareness to the problems in Raleigh.”</p><p>Nancy Glowacki of Hendersonville described her mood as “up,” adding that “when people stand to demonstrate another opinion, that's a good thing. It takes both sides to make good decisions.” </p><p>A retired occupational therapist, Glowacki described herself as a “progressive” and added that “the progressive viewpoint is being ignored by Raleigh at the moment, unfortunately. We're showing up today to say that we want them to do more critical thinking.” </p><p>The last time Hendersonville resident Dawn Kucera protested something was during her college years at Tulane, protesting the Vietnam war. She's now retired from a communications position with the U.S. Air Force.</p><p>Two issues in particular brought her to the gathering, she said — voter ID and women's health.</p><p>“They think that they can make decisions (in Raleigh) about what women can and can't do with their bodies,” she said. “What the state legislature is doing is horrible for the majority of the population of North Carolina.” </p><p>Recently-passed bills “hurt the poor, women, everyone who goes to a public school, and people who want to vote. I'm going to protest that,” she added. </p><p>Ralph Bastedo, a retired political science teacher, carried a sign that said, “People Before Profits.” </p><p>“I'm frustrated that the state Republican Party has changed so much,” the Hendersonville resident said. “I actually campaigned for Sen. (Tom) Apodaca and (Rep.) Chuck McGrady. Years ago, I thought that Apodaca was going to bring a liberal or moderate flavor to the Republican Party, but he has not done that.”</p><p>Bastedo attributes what he considers to be a change for the worse to one factor: money. </p><p>“I seems like the money — between ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) and the Koch Brothers — is running everything right now,” he said with a sigh. “Lobbies in Raleigh — they are running everything.”</p><p>Reach Tanker at 828-694-7871 or nancy.tanker@blueridgenow.com.</p>